de waele



(No Model.) A 3 SheetsSheet, 1.

A. DE WAELE.

FIRE ESCAPE. No. 391,358. Patented Oct. 16,1888.

swans. Phoiwhlhngmphur. Washinginn, n a

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. DE WAELE. FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 391358.59 Pa tgntedflct. 16, 1888.

win -5E5; m 1

40 ml. #4 M08056.

N PETERS PbalbLlihagnphar, Wuhinglm, D, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE DE WAELE, OF GHENT, BELGIUM.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,358, dated October16, 1888.

Application filed September 17, 1857. Serial No. 249,967.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE DE \VAELE, a subject of the King of Belgium,residing at Ghent, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have in vented a new anduseful Improvement in Fire- 1Fscapes, of which the following is aspecificaion.

The nature of the invention consists in the details of combination andconstruction substantially as illustrated in the drawings hereinafterdescribed, and subsequently pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 illustrates a side view of my newlyinvented fire-escape withthe parts extended and ready for use at the side of a house. Fig. 2illustrates the same folded up against the side of the house. Fig. 3 isafront view illustrating the same as folded against the side of thehouse. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a side viewillustrating a modification of my fire-escape. Fig. 6 is a view inperspective of my device.

In the example of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and i thefire-escape is intended to be used in connection with a balcony orbetween two balconies.

The first example of my invention which I shall describe is constructedand used in connection with a balcony. This balcony is fastened to theoutside wall of a house, directly in front ofa window, in the usual andwell-known way, as illustrated in the drawings, except that one endrailing or banister of the balcony is pivoted, as hereinafter described.This piv oted end railing of the balcony is designated by A B O D; (Z,the ladder of the fire-escape, and cf and ef the hand-rails; a a and bb, rods or shafts on which are pivoted theladder and the floor of thefire-escape. One end of thebalcony-railing is also hung upon the rod orshaft a a. This rod or shaft a a is secured in eyes which have shanksfastened in the wall of the house. The frame (1 of the steps is rigid;but the hand-rails cf and e'f are sup ported on this frame by pivotedbanisters g g G. The frame of the steps is partly supported by the rodsor braces J H and J H.

The end A B O D of the balcony-banisters is rigidly mounted upon the roda a on the end next to the balcony and so arranged in connection withsaid rod and the other working parts of the fire-escape that when theescape is.

(No model.)

folded up against the wall it will occupy the proper position for theend banisters of the balcony. \Vhen the fire'escape is extended for use,the floor of the escape-which is rigidly attached to the rod a a,turning that rod, upon which, as aforesaid, the end A B O D of thebalcony is mounted-causes the said end of the balcony to revolve withsaid rod edgewise in its own plane at right angles to the axis of therod until it assumes the position designated by A B O D of Fig. 1, inwhich position it will be entirely out of the way and free accessafforded from the balcony into the fire-escape. When the fire-escape isfolded up against the wall of the house, the parts of the escape movingin the opposite direction from that just described carry back the end AB G D of the balcony to its first position, where it is again held forthe end banister of the balcony, as illustrated by A B O D of Fig. 2.

When my fire-escape is in use, it is as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4.When not in use, itis folded up, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Tochange from one position to the other, the handrails cf and e f are laiddown upon the frame of the ladder by folding down the banisters g g Gagainst the said frame of the ladder. Then, by lifting up the ladder andpushing it toward the wall, the joints at a a and I) b are caused tobend, so that the parts describe the dotted arcs illustrated in Fig. 1,until the floor of the escape becomes perpendicular against the wall,the end of the banisters of the balcony assumes its proper position, thebraces J H and J H come up against the wall,and the ladder standsperpendicular, parallel to the wall, with its top a little above thebalcony-railing, and all the parts assume the position represented inFigs. 2 and 3. The parts are returned to the position illustrated inFig. 1 by exactly the reverse operation.

This fire-escape may be made of any convenient metal; but I prefer tomake it of iron.

To secure the escape against the side of the house, I have provided thelook I, the keys of which may, as is usual in such cases, be depositedwith any proper person or at any proper place, so that they will behandy and available in time of need.

I To prevent burglars and other evil-disposed persons from making anyimproper use of this fire-escape, alarge enough plate of metal may befastened upon the front to effectually prevent them from climbing up, ora long shutter may be constructed to look over the lower part of theladder. I

Where there is no balcony the floor of the escape may be furnished withproper handrails pivotal] y attached to the wall of the building oneither side of ornear to a window, so that the escape can be easilyreached from the window, and so that the parts will fold up with therest of the escape, as hereinbefore described.

What I claim as my invention, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a fire-escape landing arranged between balconiesor adjacent thereto ing is pivoted, and a movable end railing of thesaid balcony, also pivoted upon, attached to, and moved by said pivotalrod, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 25

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

AUGUSTE DE WAELE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE BEDE, M. WAssoN.

